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| Watch for Pedestrians Downtown Raleighwood, March 2013 |
And then, one day in March, there was an email waiting for me from an agent.
Only instead of the standard, form rejection, this one was different.
She "adored" my main character. She called my book, "refreshing and fun... a terrific middle-grade read." Best of all, she said she wanted to talk to me about representation.
I remember shaking my head at what I had read, doing something of a double-take. After all the ups and downs, after all of the Revise and Resubmits, after being This Close from shelving The Book and working on The Other Book, there is was. An offer.
And not just any offer. This was an offer from Caryn Freaking Wiseman of The Andrea Brown Lit Agency. Caryn Wiseman -- as in Caryn reading over her list of clients I almost didn't bother sending her my query because I thought there was no way she'd ever consider even talking to me Wiseman.
We spoke the next day (my birthday!) and had a great conversation. I almost laughed when she started selling me on her abilities as an agent and the Andrea Brown agency. (I had done my research. I knew who she and the agency were. I felt like I should be the one trying to sell her on me.)
I asked to see their contract. She sent it. It was clear, simple, concise. I called back saying, "let's do it." She sent out an actual, signed contract. I signed it and put it back in the mail before Caryn could come to her senses and call me back saying she'd changed her mind.
That was it. No big heroic struggle climax, just a simple email and chat. In fiction it would would be considered almost anti-climactic. : )
-- Tom
